diff --git a/cmd/version/version.go b/cmd/version/version.go
index a98f459de..04f157e7f 100644
--- a/cmd/version/version.go
+++ b/cmd/version/version.go
@@ -7,11 +7,11 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/coreos/go-semver/semver"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/cmd"
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs"
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs/config/flags"
-	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs/version"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
 
@@ -66,8 +66,16 @@ Or
 	},
 }
 
+// strip a leading v off the string
+func stripV(s string) string {
+	if len(s) > 0 && s[0] == 'v' {
+		return s[1:]
+	}
+	return s
+}
+
 // getVersion gets the version by checking the download repository passed in
-func getVersion(url string) (v version.Version, vs string, date time.Time, err error) {
+func getVersion(url string) (v *semver.Version, vs string, date time.Time, err error) {
 	resp, err := http.Get(url)
 	if err != nil {
 		return v, vs, date, err
@@ -89,16 +97,16 @@ func getVersion(url string) (v version.Version, vs string, date time.Time, err e
 	if err != nil {
 		return v, vs, date, err
 	}
-	v, err = version.New(vs)
+	v, err = semver.NewVersion(stripV(vs))
 	return v, vs, date, err
 }
 
 // check the current version against available versions
 func checkVersion() {
 	// Get Current version
-	vCurrent, err := version.New(fs.Version)
+	vCurrent, err := semver.NewVersion(stripV(fs.Version))
 	if err != nil {
-		fs.Errorf(nil, "Failed to get parse version: %v", err)
+		fs.Errorf(nil, "Failed to parse version: %v", err)
 	}
 	const timeFormat = "2006-01-02"
 
@@ -108,12 +116,12 @@ func checkVersion() {
 			fs.Errorf(nil, "Failed to get rclone %s version: %v", what, err)
 			return
 		}
-		fmt.Printf("%-8s%-13v %20s\n",
+		fmt.Printf("%-8s%-40v %20s\n",
 			what+":",
 			v,
 			"(released "+t.Format(timeFormat)+")",
 		)
-		if v.Cmp(vCurrent) > 0 {
+		if v.Compare(*vCurrent) > 0 {
 			fmt.Printf("  upgrade: %s\n", url+vs)
 		}
 	}
@@ -126,7 +134,7 @@ func checkVersion() {
 		"beta",
 		"https://beta.rclone.org/",
 	)
-	if vCurrent.IsGit() {
+	if strings.HasSuffix(fs.Version, "-DEV") {
 		fmt.Println("Your version is compiled from git so comparisons may be wrong.")
 	}
 }
diff --git a/fs/rc/internal.go b/fs/rc/internal.go
index 2c27cda88..24a13b865 100644
--- a/fs/rc/internal.go
+++ b/fs/rc/internal.go
@@ -8,13 +8,14 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"runtime"
+	"strings"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/coreos/go-semver/semver"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs"
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs/config/obscure"
-	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs/version"
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/lib/atexit"
 )
 
@@ -171,10 +172,10 @@ func init() {
 		Help: `
 This shows the current version of go and the go runtime
 
-- version - rclone version, eg "v1.44"
-- decomposed - version number as [major, minor, patch, subpatch]
-    - note patch and subpatch will be 999 for a git compiled version
+- version - rclone version, eg "v1.53.0"
+- decomposed - version number as [major, minor, patch]
 - isGit - boolean - true if this was compiled from the git version
+- isBeta - boolean - true if this is a beta version
 - os - OS in use as according to Go
 - arch - cpu architecture in use according to Go
 - goVersion - version of Go runtime in use
@@ -185,14 +186,15 @@ This shows the current version of go and the go runtime
 
 // Return version info
 func rcVersion(ctx context.Context, in Params) (out Params, err error) {
-	decomposed, err := version.New(fs.Version)
+	version, err := semver.NewVersion(fs.Version[1:])
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	out = Params{
 		"version":    fs.Version,
-		"decomposed": decomposed,
-		"isGit":      decomposed.IsGit(),
+		"decomposed": version.Slice(),
+		"isGit":      strings.HasSuffix(fs.Version, "-DEV"),
+		"isBeta":     version.PreRelease != "",
 		"os":         runtime.GOOS,
 		"arch":       runtime.GOARCH,
 		"goVersion":  runtime.Version(),
diff --git a/fs/rc/internal_test.go b/fs/rc/internal_test.go
index c9e46a537..3eac2be57 100644
--- a/fs/rc/internal_test.go
+++ b/fs/rc/internal_test.go
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs"
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs/config/obscure"
-	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs/version"
 )
 
 func TestMain(m *testing.M) {
@@ -106,7 +105,7 @@ func TestCoreVersion(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, runtime.GOARCH, out["arch"])
 	assert.Equal(t, runtime.Version(), out["goVersion"])
 	_ = out["isGit"].(bool)
-	v := out["decomposed"].(version.Version)
+	v := out["decomposed"].([]int64)
 	assert.True(t, len(v) >= 2)
 }
 
diff --git a/fs/version.go b/fs/version.go
index 5f1f636b4..0110ac8d3 100644
--- a/fs/version.go
+++ b/fs/version.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 package fs
 
 // Version of rclone
-var Version = "v1.52.3-DEV"
+var Version = "v1.53.0-DEV"
diff --git a/fs/version/version.go b/fs/version/version.go
deleted file mode 100644
index a2accfe0b..000000000
--- a/fs/version/version.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,86 +0,0 @@
-package version
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"regexp"
-	"strconv"
-	"strings"
-
-	"github.com/pkg/errors"
-	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs"
-)
-
-// Version represents a parsed rclone version number
-type Version []int
-
-var parseVersion = regexp.MustCompile(`^(?:rclone )?v(\d+)\.(\d+)(?:\.(\d+))?(?:-(\d+)(?:-(g[\wβ-]+))?)?$`)
-
-// New parses a version number from a string
-//
-// This will be returned with up to 4 elements for major, minor,
-// patch, subpatch release.
-//
-// If the version number represents a compiled from git version
-// number, then it will be returned as major, minor, 999, 999
-func New(in string) (v Version, err error) {
-	isGit := strings.HasSuffix(in, "-DEV")
-	if isGit {
-		in = in[:len(in)-4]
-	}
-	r := parseVersion.FindStringSubmatch(in)
-	if r == nil {
-		return v, errors.Errorf("failed to match version string %q", in)
-	}
-	atoi := func(s string) int {
-		i, err := strconv.Atoi(s)
-		if err != nil {
-			fs.Errorf(nil, "Failed to parse %q as int from %q: %v", s, in, err)
-		}
-		return i
-	}
-	v = Version{
-		atoi(r[1]), // major
-		atoi(r[2]), // minor
-	}
-	if r[3] != "" {
-		v = append(v, atoi(r[3])) // patch
-	} else if r[4] != "" {
-		v = append(v, 0) // patch
-	}
-	if r[4] != "" {
-		v = append(v, atoi(r[4])) // dev
-	}
-	if isGit {
-		v = append(v, 999, 999)
-	}
-	return v, nil
-}
-
-// String converts v to a string
-func (v Version) String() string {
-	var out []string
-	for _, vv := range v {
-		out = append(out, fmt.Sprint(vv))
-	}
-	return strings.Join(out, ".")
-}
-
-// Cmp compares two versions returning >0, <0 or 0
-func (v Version) Cmp(o Version) (d int) {
-	n := len(v)
-	if n > len(o) {
-		n = len(o)
-	}
-	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
-		d = v[i] - o[i]
-		if d != 0 {
-			return d
-		}
-	}
-	return len(v) - len(o)
-}
-
-// IsGit returns true if the current version was compiled from git
-func (v Version) IsGit() bool {
-	return len(v) >= 4 && v[2] == 999 && v[3] == 999
-}
diff --git a/fs/version/version_test.go b/fs/version/version_test.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 42095b4aa..000000000
--- a/fs/version/version_test.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,89 +0,0 @@
-package version
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"testing"
-
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
-)
-
-func TestNew(t *testing.T) {
-	for _, test := range []struct {
-		in      string
-		want    Version
-		wantErr bool
-	}{
-		{"v1.41", Version{1, 41}, false},
-		{"rclone v1.41", Version{1, 41}, false},
-		{"rclone v1.41.23", Version{1, 41, 23}, false},
-		{"rclone v1.41.23-100", Version{1, 41, 23, 100}, false},
-		{"rclone v1.41-100", Version{1, 41, 0, 100}, false},
-		{"rclone v1.41.23-100-g12312a", Version{1, 41, 23, 100}, false},
-		{"rclone v1.41-100-g12312a", Version{1, 41, 0, 100}, false},
-		{"rclone v1.42-005-g56e1e820β", Version{1, 42, 0, 5}, false},
-		{"rclone v1.42-005-g56e1e820-feature-branchβ", Version{1, 42, 0, 5}, false},
-
-		{"v1.41s", nil, true},
-		{"rclone v1-41", nil, true},
-		{"rclone v1.41.2c3", nil, true},
-		{"rclone v1.41.23-100 potato", nil, true},
-		{"rclone 1.41-100", nil, true},
-		{"rclone v1.41.23-100-12312a", nil, true},
-
-		{"v1.41-DEV", Version{1, 41, 999, 999}, false},
-	} {
-		what := fmt.Sprintf("in=%q", test.in)
-		got, err := New(test.in)
-		if test.wantErr {
-			assert.Error(t, err, what)
-		} else {
-			assert.NoError(t, err, what)
-		}
-		assert.Equal(t, test.want, got, what)
-	}
-
-}
-
-func TestCmp(t *testing.T) {
-	for _, test := range []struct {
-		a, b Version
-		want int
-	}{
-		{Version{1}, Version{1}, 0},
-		{Version{1}, Version{2}, -1},
-		{Version{2}, Version{1}, 1},
-		{Version{2}, Version{2, 1}, -1},
-		{Version{2, 1}, Version{2}, 1},
-		{Version{2, 1}, Version{2, 1}, 0},
-		{Version{2, 1}, Version{2, 2}, -1},
-		{Version{2, 2}, Version{2, 1}, 1},
-	} {
-		got := test.a.Cmp(test.b)
-		if got < 0 {
-			got = -1
-		} else if got > 0 {
-			got = 1
-		}
-		assert.Equal(t, test.want, got, fmt.Sprintf("%v cmp %v", test.a, test.b))
-		// test the reverse
-		got = -test.b.Cmp(test.a)
-		assert.Equal(t, test.want, got, fmt.Sprintf("%v cmp %v", test.b, test.a))
-	}
-}
-
-func TestString(t *testing.T) {
-	v, err := New("v1.44.1-2")
-	assert.NoError(t, err)
-
-	assert.Equal(t, "1.44.1.2", v.String())
-}
-
-func TestIsGit(t *testing.T) {
-	v, err := New("v1.44")
-	assert.NoError(t, err)
-	assert.Equal(t, false, v.IsGit())
-
-	v, err = New("v1.44-DEV")
-	assert.NoError(t, err)
-	assert.Equal(t, true, v.IsGit())
-}